George Zimmerman, the Neighborhood Watch volunteer who shot unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin to death in a case that swirls around the issues of “stand your ground” laws, racial profiling, and credibility, is now back in jail after being accused of misleading a judge:
George Zimmerman arrived at the Seminole County Jail in Sanford, Fla., early this afternoon to turn himself in after a judge revoked his bail in the killing of Trayvon Martin.
Sheriff’s office officials brought Zimmerman into jail in full view of the media, unlike his release, when he was whisked away in secrecy.
Looking a little heavier than he did after his arrest and with his formerly short-cropped hair growing out, Zimmerman wore a plaid shirt and jeans.
He arrived at the jail less than one hour before the 2:30 p.m. deadline for his surrender.
Zimmerman was met by officers off I-4 and was driven into custody about 20 minutes later, authorities said.
After he arrived, Zimmerman was to be booked again and placed into isolation in administrative confinement for his own protection, according to a law enforcement official.
Less than six weeks ago, Zimmerman walked out of Seminole County Courthouse a free man on bail, preparing to live the next year or two of his life in hiding as he awaited the beginning of his high profile murder trial for the death of Martin.
But following a contentious hearing Friday in which the court learned Zimmerman and his wife Shelly had allegedly tried to hide from the court the more than $135,000 in cash they had amassed in donated legal funds, Circuit Court Judge Kenneth Lester ordered him back in jail with 48 hours.
Zimmerman’s attorney Mark O’Mara said Zimmerman’s credibility will now be a major issue which he will have to address.
Address, indeed. Here’s ABC’s report:
During a bond hearing in April, the couple had indicated they had limited funds. But prosecutors say Zimmerman had raised thousands through a website he had set up for his legal defense.
Zimmerman’s legal team said Sunday that they will ask for a new bond hearing to address those concerns, and that they hope Zimmerman’s voluntary surrender will show he is not a flight risk. Furthermore, the money Zimmerman has raised is in an independent trust and cannot be directly accessed by Zimmerman or his attorneys, according to the press release.
Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty to the second-degree murder charge. He maintains he shot Martin in self-defense under Florida’s so-called “stand your ground” law because the teen, who was unarmed, was beating him up after confronting Zimmerman about following him in a gated community outside Orlando.
Zimmerman’s credibility could become an issue at trial, legal experts said, noting the case hinges on jurors believing Zimmerman’s account of what happened the night in February that Martin was killed.
It would not be surprising if the judge, this time, doesn’t give him any bail and has him stay in jail until his hearing. All of this may make jury selection in this case even more difficult than it would have been if this issue had not come up.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.